Streamline And Get Online: Taking Your Business Digital

The business world is changing fast, and every day brings us some new acronym, buzzword or tedious abuse of the term ‘content’ (eurgh). Still, never mind! If you’re looking to bring your business forward and embrace the internet, there are only a few things you really need to worry about. Let’s take a peek at them now.

Get your website up to scratch

Websites are a fairly important component of the internet (it’s just full of them), so we’d better make sure yours is viable. It should be easy to navigate, with crisp images and a nice, sensible font (no Comic Sans or Papyrus, please). Keep the colour scheme simple and relevant, and try signing up for Google Analytics to track how the site is doing. SEO companies can do wonders for your search rankings, or even redesign your site entirely for a fresh new look.

You should consider adding a blog to your website, too. Regular posts about your industry will paint you as an expert, and significantly boost your search engine presence.

Sowing the seeds of social media

Once your main site is ready, you can start branching out into the brave new world of social media. Before you start, it’s worth contacting your existing customers. Printed surveys or a quick call can give you a clear idea of the sites they use and how they use them. Facebook is a must-have, however. Everyone’s got it, so you’ll have instant access to a far greater client base. It’ll help you reach out to people directly, which has never really been possible through traditional marketing.

Whatever platforms you choose, social media will let people review, share and promote your business. Just remember to keep it simple (stick to Facebook and Twitter, for instance), as it’s better to master one or two sites than mess up with all of them.

Ditching the paperwork

In a promising trend for trees everywhere, physical documents on the wane. If your office is stuffed with dusty old bills, letters, invoices, shipping orders and god knows what else, then maybe it’s time for a change. Document scanning and digitising your archives will make life much easier, and there are plenty of ways to minimise any future paperwork.

If you haven’t already, you should also give yourself the option of receiving payments online. Most people prefer this method over cash and cheques, and it won’t take long to set up.

Being human

Nobody likes a faceless corporation, and you’ll find much more success if you come across like actual people. Your blog and social media posts should be concise and to the point, but not at the cost of stifling your personality. Don’t be afraid to use humour, and upload plenty of pictures and video clips of your team in action. Respond to both good and bad reviews, and try to be as approachable as possible.

Like reality TV, it’s all about the story. Let people know where you come from and what you’re all about, and you’ll soon see the difference.

Old-school still works

We’ve always been fans of the classics, so we don’t mind telling you that older advertising methods still have a role to play. The fancy digital stuff is great, but it works best in tangent with more traditional means. Leaflets, car stickers, business cards and good old word of mouth are just as effective as they’ve always been, so don’t give them up just yet.